Camera Control for Dice Alignment

Based on your question about moving and rotating a camera to align with a dice's top face, I'd recommend using ArcballControls from Three.js. This control is particularly well-suited for your use case.

Approach with ArcballControls

ArcballControls provides intuitive camera manipulation with focus functionality that would be perfect for your dice scenario:

JAVASCRIPTCopied
// First, import ArcballControls
import { ArcballControls } from 'three/examples/jsm/controls/ArcballControls.js';

// Create the controls
const controls = new ArcballControls(camera, renderer.domElement, scene);

// Configure the controls
controls.enableAnimations = true; // Enable smooth animations
controls.enablePan = true;
controls.enableRotate = true;
controls.enableZoom = true;
controls.focusAnimationTime = 1.0; // Duration of focus animation in seconds

// After dice is rolled and settled, focus on it
function focusOnDice() {
  // Assuming 'dice' is your dice object
  controls.setTarget(dice.position);
  
  // Get the top face normal of the dice
  const topFaceNormal = getTopFaceNormal(); // You'll need to implement this
  
  // Align camera with the top face
  alignCameraWithNormal(topFaceNormal);
}

// Function to align camera with a normal vector
function alignCameraWithNormal(normal) {
  // Calculate the rotation needed to align camera with normal
  // This will depend on how your dice and camera are set up
  
  // Example approach:
  camera.up.copy(normal);
  camera.lookAt(dice.position);
  
  // Let ArcballControls handle the animation
  controls.update();
}

The key parts you'll need to implement:

1. A function to determine which face of the dice is on top after rolling
2. A way to get the normal vector of that face
3. The alignment logic to position the camera above the dice

ArcballControls is particularly useful here because:

• It supports smooth animations for camera movements
• It has built-in focus functionality (double-click/tap)
• It handles z-rotation, which you specifically mentioned needing
• It doesn't require manual .update() calls in your animation loop when animations are enabled

You might also consider using the enableFocus property and the focus animation time settings to fine-tune the user experience.

Let me know if you need more specific guidance on any part of this approach!